I vaguely agree that it's probably time to pick up the pace, although I'm at a loss for how to accomplish that. I'm sitting in an empty library right now completely unable to focus because I only slept five hours.

The main thing that's going to change for me is I'm putting in more hours on Saturday (waking up earlier), cutting back (well basically eliminating) going out to bars (because alcohol = sleeping in late the day after), and Sunday will no loner be a "relaxation" day.

There are lots of hours in the week. You just gotta stop doing non-LS stuff.

I don't usually pick it up until into November, but then my days look like this:

Wake up - 8.Shower, dress, etc, get breakfast.In law school - 9Class/work Lunch in law school cafe while working - 12Class/workDinner in hospital cafeteria next to LS - 7WorkGo to sleep - 12

7 days a week the two weeks before finals and the two weeks of finals.

The key is to get plenty of sleep so you don't burn out. Also, manage your time. You should be working for 12 solid hours in a day like the above. Not goofing around on facebook, etc. Take a short break every hour to rest, but like 5-10 min.

rayiner wrote:The key is to get plenty of sleep so you don't burn out. Also, manage your time. You should be working for 12 solid hours in a day like the above. Not goofing around on facebook, etc. Take a short break every hour to rest, but like 5-10 min.

The upside is that this way I get to goof off most of the semester...

Agree with the sleep, disagree with the "should be working for 12 solid hours in a day." It will entirely depend on the person. Some of us would get absolutely nothing out of working 12 hours a day, as we completely lose focus after 8 or so. Doesn't mean 8 isn't enough for those people.

As for seven days a week, some people get more benefit out of taking a day off every week than they would spending that day studying.

Sorry, I just hate all this bullshit about what people "should" be doing. It made me really anxious my first semester that what I felt I should be doing, and did do, wasn't what everyone else said I should be doing. But I'm extremely glad I followed my instincts, because it definitely paid off for me. I hope other people won't abandon their instincts and do whatever people on TLS tell them they should be doing.

Definitely time to pick it up a bit. My main goal is to start putting in a solid 6-8 hours on Saturdays, as opposed to the 2 I usually am. I am generally putting in 4 hours of work on weekdays outside of class right now. By mid November I will likely extend weekday studying to 6 hours and will eliminate my Sundays as off days till after finals. I am generally one of those people that needs one day entirely off or I will burn out, but for 2-3 weeks before finals I can deal without it.

What is it that you people do during all of these hours? Required reading (even going over several times for understanding) fits in a 6-8 hour block on a Saturday. Outlining is a 4 hour block on a Sunday to fill-in what I learned the prior week. I have plenty of friends who spend all of the time you all are describing in the library, but I don't fully understand what the heck more there is to be done. Are you all reading every hornbook published? Re-reading the casebooks six times? Please shed some light.

tesoro wrote:What is it that you people do during all of these hours? Required reading (even going over several times for understanding) fits in a 6-8 hour block on a Saturday. Outlining is a 4 hour block on a Sunday to fill-in what I learned the prior week. I have plenty of friends who spend all of the time you all are describing in the library, but I don't fully understand what the heck more there is to be done. Are you all reading every hornbook published? Re-reading the casebooks six times? Please shed some light.

You can always use more practice at applying the law. Since this is probably the most important skill you need for exams, it makes sense to practice it... a lot. Plus it takes quite a while to actually type up some answers, especially when you are first starting to apply the law, as you are not so familiar with how that is done.

We have about 15 pages assigned per class, I read all the assigned reading and take notes on it. Then I read the supplements for anything I have missed or did not completely understand. If there is any time left I may look over my outline but usually save that for Saturdays. I have class till 3, take a break till 4, study till 8 and go home and relax till 11 when I go to bed.

rayiner wrote:The key is to get plenty of sleep so you don't burn out. Also, manage your time. You should be working for 12 solid hours in a day like the above. Not goofing around on facebook, etc. Take a short break every hour to rest, but like 5-10 min.

The upside is that this way I get to goof off most of the semester...

Agree with the sleep, disagree with the "should be working for 12 solid hours in a day." It will entirely depend on the person. Some of us would get absolutely nothing out of working 12 hours a day, as we completely lose focus after 8 or so. Doesn't mean 8 isn't enough for those people.

As for seven days a week, some people get more benefit out of taking a day off every week than they would spending that day studying.

I'm not saying you should be working 12 hours a day or 7 days a week. I'm saying that if you put in a day like the above where you're at the law school for 15 hours, 12 of those should be work.

I completely agree that different schedules work for different people. My comment was specifically addressed to people who were finding that there weren't enough hours in the day to get done what they wanted to. In my experience, a lot of those people are just inefficient with their time.

rayiner wrote:The key is to get plenty of sleep so you don't burn out. Also, manage your time. You should be working for 12 solid hours in a day like the above. Not goofing around on facebook, etc. Take a short break every hour to rest, but like 5-10 min.

The upside is that this way I get to goof off most of the semester...

Agree with the sleep, disagree with the "should be working for 12 solid hours in a day." It will entirely depend on the person. Some of us would get absolutely nothing out of working 12 hours a day, as we completely lose focus after 8 or so. Doesn't mean 8 isn't enough for those people.

As for seven days a week, some people get more benefit out of taking a day off every week than they would spending that day studying.

I'm not saying you should be working 12 hours a day or 7 days a week. I'm saying that if you put in a day like the above where you're at the law school for 15 hours, 12 of those should be work.

I completely agree that different schedules work for different people. My comment was specifically addressed to people who were finding that there weren't enough hours in the day to get done what they wanted to. In my experience, a lot of those people are just inefficient with their time.

Ah, that makes sense, and I definitely agree with the efficiency point. I just react strongly when "should" is used instead of "should be able to . . ."

tesoro wrote:What is it that you people do during all of these hours? Required reading (even going over several times for understanding) fits in a 6-8 hour block on a Saturday. Outlining is a 4 hour block on a Sunday to fill-in what I learned the prior week. I have plenty of friends who spend all of the time you all are describing in the library, but I don't fully understand what the heck more there is to be done. Are you all reading every hornbook published? Re-reading the casebooks six times? Please shed some light.

I do my outlines from scratch a couple of weeks before finals and more or less redo all the reading for the semester in the process. Then I cut my 50 page outline into a 10 page one than a 2 page checklist. Then I do a couple of practice exams. I don't use hornbooks or E&E's but use the crunchtime books to verify my outline.

This does take me 12x7 during the period before and during finals, but on the upside I don't do much work the rest of the semester.

Obviously YMMV. The back-loaded system has worked well for me and a few other people I know because it really ensures you have all the material memorized on exam day. I know people who have been successful spreading the work out over more of the semester.

That being said, as a first semester 1L, I would strongly recommend going back over as much material as you can in late November even if you have been keeping up. Most people get a lot better at reading/outlining as the semester goes on. There is a good chance you won't remember enough detail from the material you learned in September or that any outlines you did in September are utter crap. It may have just clicked for you from the beginning, but you have no idea about that until you get your exam grades back. No point taking chances.

After fall break is when I'm starting to step on the gas, although I've been feeling that I've been doing that all along. I've never made it out to a bar review or a happy hour yet, because I'm constantly studying (and drunk assholes are not fun). My Social Work roommate thinks I'm crazy, but I still feel like I'm never getting enough done. Current routine 6am-wake up7-9- study9-12 class/work1-2- class/work2-4 nap4-10 studyI guess it means no more naps, and a lot more studying!!! I wish I mastered the art of speed reading.

I guess it means no more naps, and a lot more studying!!! I wish I mastered the art of speed reading.

My naps always end up being longer than I originally anticipated. Yesterday I planned on taking a two-hour nap, and it became a four-hour nap.

Yeah I've done that before, but when it happens I just sleep through and wake up at 3am. Sometimes this works better for me because I can focus better and feel more refreshed. Plus there aren't many distractions at 3am, and my roommate would get pissed if she woke up to call of duty sounds that early. Therefore I get more work done then.

robin600 wrote:After fall break is when I'm starting to step on the gas, although I've been feeling that I've been doing that all along. I've never made it out to a bar review or a happy hour yet, because I'm constantly studying (and drunk assholes are not fun). My Social Work roommate thinks I'm crazy, but I still feel like I'm never getting enough done. Current routine 6am-wake up7-9- study9-12 class/work1-2- class/work2-4 nap4-10 studyI guess it means no more naps, and a lot more studying!!! I wish I mastered the art of speed reading.

You wanna start this schedule after FALL BREAK? This looks like a "week or two before exams" schedule, not a "month or two before exams schedule". If you are in class 4 hours per day and study 10 hours per day on TOP of that for two months you WILL burnout.

robin600 wrote:After fall break is when I'm starting to step on the gas, although I've been feeling that I've been doing that all along. I've never made it out to a bar review or a happy hour yet, because I'm constantly studying (and drunk assholes are not fun). My Social Work roommate thinks I'm crazy, but I still feel like I'm never getting enough done. Current routine 6am-wake up7-9- study9-12 class/work1-2- class/work2-4 nap4-10 studyI guess it means no more naps, and a lot more studying!!! I wish I mastered the art of speed reading.

You wanna start this schedule after FALL BREAK? This looks like a "week or two before exams" schedule, not a "month or two before exams schedule". If you are in class 4 hours per day and study 10 hours per day on TOP of that for two months you WILL burnout.